Veterans Services is responsible for providing benefit entitlement determinations, claim development, claim filing, advocacy, and case management services to the veterans’ population of Sacramento County. This vital segment of our population encompasses an ever increasing aging veterans’ population composed of WWII and Korean War veterans and their survivors, confined in some cases to skilled nursing facilities and their own homes. It also includes Vietnam veterans, Persian Gulf veterans, peacetime veterans, and another viable segment of our veterans’ population, homeless veterans.

Veterans Services is also responsible for the screening of all veterans, their dependents, and survivors (by means of the State Mandated Welfare Referral Program) who have applied for CalWORKS, County Medically Indigent Services, Food Stamps, General Assistance, and Medi-Cal, with priority given to those program referrals that have a direct impact on county costs.

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Available benefits are primarily from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and are not limited to the following:

Disability compensation is a monetary benefit paid to veterans who are disabled by injury or disease incurred or aggravated during active military service or while serving in the reserves. Disability compensation varies with the degree of the disability rating and the number of dependents. A veteran must have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

Disability pension is a monetary benefit paid to veterans who are found to be permanently and totally disabled based on disabilities not the result of their active military service (veterans aged 65 and over are deemed to be permanently and totally disabled for the purposes of this benefit). A veteran must have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable and must have served 90 days or more of active military service, at least one day of which was during a period of war, or discharged due to a service connected disability. The veteran must meet specified income and net worth thresholds.

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a monetary benefit paid to unmarried surviving spouses, children under 18, or between 18 and 23 if attending a VA approved school, and low-income parents of deceased veterans. To be eligible, the veteran must have died from 1.) A disease or injury incurred or aggravated while on active duty or active duty for training, 2.) An injury incurred or aggravated in line of duty while on inactive duty for training, or 3.) A disability compensable by the VA.

Death pension is a monetary benefit paid to unmarried surviving spouses, children under 18, or between 18 and 23 if attending a VA approved school, of deceased veterans who died from causes not the result of active military service. The veteran’s active duty requirements are the same as those listed under disability pension and surviving spouses and children must also meet specific income and net worth thresholds.

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment is an employment-oriented program that assists veterans with service-connected disabilities by offering them services and assistance to help them prepare for, find, and keep suitable employment. A veteran must have a VA established service connected disability rating of a least 10% with a serious employment handicap or 20% with an employment handicap. VA pays the cost of the services provided and pays a living allowance to veterans who participate in a training program.

Veterans Services is also mandated by the State Department of Veterans Affairs to administer and determine benefit entitlement under the College Fee Waiver Program For Veterans’ Dependents. This program is afforded to spouses, unmarried surviving spouses, and children of service connected disabled or service related deceased veterans. Entitlement under this program means that an eligible dependent is not required to pay “Mandatory System wide” tuition and fees while attending either a California community college, a campus of the California State University (Cal State) system, or a campus of the University of California (UC) system. This program not only provides eligible dependents of veterans with the incentive, but also the opportunity to pursue their respective educational goals. Veterans Services processed and approved 637 fee waiver applications during fiscal year 2001-2002 which equated to a monetary value of $1,025,290.00.

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Claims filing and advocacy services provided by Veterans Services staff during fiscal year 2001-2002 also resulted in $1,076,156.00 in disability and death monetary benefits being awarded to non-public assistance clients and $101,063.00 being awarded to those clients receiving public assistance. An additional $135,601.00 resulted from claims with respect to lump-sum monetary benefits.

The County Board of Supervisors established the County Veterans Service Department in 1946 to render assistance to the new wave of WWII veterans.
Sacramento County ranks 7th in the state with respect to veterans’ populations.
Sacramento County ranks 5th in the state with respect to the amount of monetary benefits paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans receiving disability benefits and survivors receiving death benefits. This amount exceeds $100 million annually.

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Veterans, their dependents, and survivors are encouraged to contact Veterans Services for assistance. The office is located at 2007 19th Street (between T & U Streets). Office hours are from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday-Friday (excluding County holidays). The telephone number is 874-6811.

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